IRAQ’S new prime minister-designate Haider al-Abadi received Iranian backing today in a move that further isolates incumbent Nouri al-Maliki.

Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani congratulating the Iraqi people on their new leader, who was nominated by President Fouad Massoum after gaining a majority of votes from MPs of the Iraqi National Alliance, a coalition of Shi’ite parties.

Iraqi legislators are desperate to find a unifying figure to head the government in the face of a military crisis caused by the advance of Islamic State (Isis) militants.

The fundamentalist Sunni group has risen to dominate the anti-Assad revolt in Syria and has since swept into Iraq, massacring members of other religious groups and bulldozing ancient shrines, mosques and churches it deems blasphemous.

But Mr Maliki — whose highly sectarian regime has alienated most Iraqi Sunnis — is refusing to step down, claiming that his removal is unconstitutional.

His administration has been close to the Shi’ite theocracy in Tehran and losing its support could be the death-knell for his premiership, which has already lost Washington’s backing.

The US has bypassed Baghdad to supply arms directly to the autonomous Kurdish region, which has so far proved more effective than the regular army in battling Isis.

US air strikes against Isis targets helped Kurdish Peshmerga forces take two towns from the Islamist group on Sunday, although on Monday they were forced to retreat from a third town, Jalula, after pitched battles with militants.

The EU announced a €5 million (£4m) increase in aid to “civilians trapped by the fighting” yesterday.

Britain and France dropped water, food and solar lamps to members of the Yazidi community sheltering on Mount Sinjar. The “peacock angel” worshipped by the ancient Yazidi faith is identified with Satan by the extremist Wahhabi sect of Islam promoted by Saudi Arabia and followed by Isis, and the militants have ordered Yazidis to convert or die.

Germany also announced it would send “non-lethal equipment” including vehicles, night-vision gear and bomb-detectors to forces struggling to drive Isis back.